Car-brake.



L. L. RUSSELL. CAR BRAKE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 22. 1916.

Patented Nov. 28, 1916.

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3 S "w w W A TTORNEYS L. L. RUSSELL.

CAR BRAKE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 22, I916- L206,732. EPatented Nov. 28, 1916.

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INVENTOR L. L. Russel I ATTORNEYS L. L. RUSSELL.

CAR BRAKE.

APPLICATION mu) APR. 22, me.

1 06,732. Patented Nov. 28, 191

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WITNESSES INI/ENTOR LLRUSSQH flifi l ATTORNEYS INL mwnw Frn as co.v Pnoro mum. WWW. mu. 0 c

LEON LEROY RUSSELL, OF LIVERMORE FALLS, MAINE.

CAR-BRAKE.

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Specification. of Letters Patent.

Patented N ov. 28, 1916.

Application filed April 22, 1916. Serial N 0. 92,879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEON LEROY RUssnLL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Livermore Falls, in the county of Androscoggin and State of Maine, have invented a new and Improved Car-Brake, of

which the following is a full, clear, ,and'

exact description.

My invention relates to car-brake structures and is especially adapted for all classes of standard freight cars, as it permits rapid work with safety when switching cars and making up trains in car yards. 7

The object of the invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive and eii'icient brake which is safer and easier to operate than the ordinary wheel-and-staff brake used at present.

iVith the above and other objects in view, the nature of which will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as herein fully described, illustrated and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of the application, similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the car trucks, one of which is equipped with a brake of my construction, the body of the car being 3 shown in dotted lines to show the connection between the operating handles and the brake.

mechanism; Fig. 2 is an elevation of the brake mechanism as it appears on the car axle; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section on line 3-3, Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a cross section on line f 'l-, Fig. 3, part of the drum being in elevation; and Fig. 5 is a section on line 5-5, F ig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, the cylinder lever 7 of the car brakes is connected by a flexible member 8, such as a chain, to a drum 9, preferably formed of two parts bolted together. The drum incloses a pulley or carrier 10 formed of two sections bolted rigidly to a car axle 11, said pulley constituting the bearing for the drum on which it is free to rotate. Each pulley section has a peripheral slot 12 extending through the major width of the section and through at least one-third of its circumference to re ceive an arcuate friction block 13. The friction block is secured to a curved plate 14, preferably by providing under-cut grooves the sides of block to be engaged by the raised edges of the plate, sliding fit is and plate.

Each plate carries a section 15 of a cam 5 block, the cooperating section 16 of each block is secured to the hub 17 of the pulley. The two cooperating sections are retained in proper alinement by guiding studs 18 secured; to the hub and passing through the 5 section 16 into the section 15. The section 15 is maintained against the coijperating section 16 by springs 19 which normally draw the plate 14 to the hub and, therefore, tend to move the friction block away from the pulley. The cooperatingcam blocks 15 and 16 are provided with alining slots 20 and 21 respectively disposed to each side of the guiding studs 18 parallel to the axis of the axle. The slot 20 has its bottom 22 con-175 verging toward the bottom of the slot 21, whereby the two slots 20 and 21 in cross section have the shape of a wedge, as best shown in Fig. 3.

Cooperating with each slot is a spreading, wedge-shaped member 23. The two members for the same pair of cooperating cam sections form part of a yoke 24 extending from a collar 25 mounted to slide on the axle 11 but constrained to revolve therewith. The drum 9, on the side where the members 23 are provided, is open sufficiently to allow the members to move freely in and out of the cam blocks when the collar 25 is moved to and from the drum. The collar 25 is provided with an annular groove for a ring 26 which has trunnions 27 engaging in slots 28 provided in a yoke 29, preferably encompassing the ring. Said yoke is pivotally connected to a portion of the car body and has an extension 30 connected to a rod 31 extending across the car body and provided at one side with a handle 32, whereby the rod may be actuated and therewith the collar 25. The movement of the collar 25 on the axle is limited by stop collars 33 provided on the axle.

To permit the operation of the brake from either side of the car, another handle 3d is provided on the other side and adjacent the other end of the car. This handle 34: is connected to the rod 31 through the medium of a bell-crank lever 35, rod 36, and bellcrank lever 37 respectively. The handle 34. passes through a guide 38 secured to the car body and having a saw tooth 39 therein which is adapted to cooperate with the saw and whereby a provided between the block teeth provided on the handle 34:. A spring 40 is provided within the guide which normally tends to maintain the engagement of the saw teeth of the handle with that of the guide. The above arrangement forms a yielding lock which permits the operation of the brake from either handle. I

When a handle is pulled, the collar 25 slides, carrying the yokes 24 into the drum and the carrier. The yoke causes the movement of the friction blocks against the drum, which is entrained, the chain is wound and the brakes applied. As soon as the handle is released or pushed so as to force the yoke out from the carrier, the friction blocks are disengaged from the drum by the springs 19, permitting the drum to rotate and releasing the brake.

It will be noted that in my brake construction the brake may be applied from either side of the car. There is no necessity for climbing on and off the car as is the case with the wheel-and-staflt' brake at present employed; therefore the application of the brakes may be accomplished with greater speed and safety, for it is very dangerous in the winter time to climb on and oif a car when the same is covered with ice.

It will be seen that the application of the brake will be directly proportioned to the speed of the car, for the higherthe speed of the axle the more energy it will give to wind the chain on the drum and draw the shoes of the brakes against the wheels. The arrangement is such that the brake will apply no matter which way the axle revolves.

I claim:

1. In combination with the axle of a car and a brake-cylinder lever, a carrier constrained to revolve with the axle, a revoluble drum bearing on the carrier, a flexible member connecting the drum to the lever, a friction block constrained to rotate with the carrier and free to move radially of the carrier, a sectional cam block associated with the carrier and the friction block, resilient means for maintaining the sections together, a spreading member engaging said sections, means carrying said spreading member constrained to revolve with the axle and free to slide thereupon, and means for sliding said spreading-member carrier whereby the distance between the sections of the cam block may be varied, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In combination with the axle of a car and brake-cylinder lever, a carrier constrained to revolve with the axle, a revoluble drum bearing on the carrier, a flexible member connecting the drum to the lever, a frictional block, a sectional cam block connecting the frictional block to the carrier, means for varying the distance between the sections of the cam block whereby the engagement of the friction block with the drum is controlled, and means for actuating the last-named means accessible from the side of a car.

3. In combination with the axle of a car and a brake-cylinder lever, a carrier in the shape of a pulley secured to the axle to revolve therewith, a revoluble drum bearing on the carrier and free to revolve thereupon, a flexible member connecting the drum to the lever, said carrier having diametrically opposite openings in the periphery thereof, a friction block in each opening, said carrier having a hub, a sectional cam block, one section of which is secured to the hub and the other to a friction block, means for guiding the sections of the cam block, resilient means, normally resisting theparting of said sections of the cam block, said sections having cooperating, wedgeshaped grooves, a wedge-shaped member cooper ating with the grooves of the sections of the cam block, a carrier for said wedge-shaped member mounted to slide on the axle and constrained to revolve therewith, a yoke for sliding said carrier, and means for actuating said yoke from either side of the car, including means for retaining said yoke in predetermined positions.

4. In combination with the axle of a car and a brake-cylinder lever, a carrier in the shape of a pulley having a hub secured to the axle to revolve therewith, a revoluble drum bearing on the carrier and free to revolve thereupon, a flexible member connecting the drum to the lever, said carrier hav ing diametrically-opposite openings in the periphery thereof, an arcuate friction block in each opening, an arcuate plate carried on the said blocks, a sectional cam block interposed between each plateand the hub of the pulley, one of the sections being secured to the plate and the other to the hub, resilient means connecting the plate to the hub, whereby the friction block is maintained clear of the drum, guiding means for the sections of the cam block, said cam sections having cooperating grooves which have the shape of a wedge, a yoke having a wedgeshaped member for engaging the groove in the sections of the cam, a collar mounted to slide on the axle and constrained to revolve therewith, means pivotally connecting the yoke to said collar, means for shifting said collar on the axle, and means for actuating said shifting means from either side of the car, including means for retaining said shifting means in predetermined positions.

5. In combination with the axle of a car and a brake-cylinder lever, a drum free to revolve on the axle, friction block associated with the axle, resilient means maintaining the friction blocks clear of the drum, a cam block having an inclined plane associated with each friction block, a spreading member mounted to slide on the axle and con,-

strained to rotate therewith for engaging the inclined planes of the cam, whereby the friction block may be brought into engagement with the drum, and means for actuating the spreading members from the side of the car, including means for retaining said spreading members in predetermined positions.

6. In combination With the axle of a car and a brake-cylinder lever, motion-transmission means from the axle to the lever, a

rod extending parallel to the axle and engaging said motion transmission means, a

ment.

LEON LEROY RUSSELL. Witnesses:

LEWIE V. WINTER, GEO. F. TREAT.

"Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. (2. 

